Concrete panel systems have been used primarily to provide pre-manufactured walls for residential or small commercial or industrial buildings. Such systems promise a more accurate building, reduced on-site building time and waste, insect resistance and a hedge against rising lumber prices.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,475,529 describes a method of making a prestressed hollow core concrete panel. A first section is formed comprising a slab having a flat outer face and a plurality of ribs extending from an inner face. This first section is then laid ribs down on a second section, which is either a flat slab or a duplicate of the first section laid ribs up. The two sections are joined together. In an embodiment, the cores of the panel are closed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,578 describes a concrete panel building system in which the panels have an inner insulating layer sandwiched between concrete layers. The space between the concrete layers cooperates with a guide nailed to a foundation to align the wall panels on the foundation. Upper portions of adjacent wall panels are secured together by a various bolted connections.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,605,529, 4,751,803 and 4,934,121 describe concrete wall panels having vertical ribs extending between horizontal upper and lower beams all attached to a concrete slab which provides the outer surface of the wall. The ribs and beams of the panels are reinforced by longitudinal reinforcing bars and the concrete slab is reinforced by a wire mesh. A “bolting saddle” cast into the ends of the upper beams allows adjacent panels to be bolted together. U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,194 describes an improved assembly jig having hinged sidewalls for use in making such panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,838 describes a method of constructing a basement from prefabricated concrete panels. The building site is first excavated and footings are positioned in the excavation to define the outline of the building. The footings have a groove in their upper surface to accept wall sections which comprise a slab having a flat outer face and a plurality of ribs on an inner face. Freestanding corner wall sections are placed first on the footings. Flat wall panels are then joined end-to-end between the corner sections to complete a peripheral wall. A conventional wooden floor deck is constructed over the peripheral wall to strengthen the structure before the basement is backfilled.
Introduction
The following summary is intended to introduce the reader to the detailed description and not to limit or define any claimed invention. The following summary may not describe all necessary features of the invention which may reside in a sub combination of the following features or in a combination with features described in other parts of this document.
A concrete panel construction system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,017,316 B2, by Nick DiLorenzo, issued on Mar. 28, 2008, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference to it. That patent describes a concrete building panel having a slab and a plurality of ribs and beams. The ribs include interior ribs and end ribs which are generally perpendicular to the slab and oriented vertically in an installed panel. The beams include an upper and lower beam which are generally perpendicular to the slab and oriented horizontally in an installed panel. These panels may be connected together, among other ways, by fasteners applied through holes in the end ribs.
The following description describes further methods and apparatus of connecting building panels together. These methods and apparatus make use of holes in the end rib of a panel. These methods and apparatus may be used with a concrete building panel as described above, or with other panels have end ribs that can be provided with holes for fasteners.
In one connection, two panels are connected through a column. One panel is connected to the column, for example by way of fasteners passing through holes in a rib of the panel into threaded inserts in the column. A second panel is also connected to the column, for example to threaded inserts open to another face of the column. In this way, two panels are attached together. The panels may be attached to opposed sides of the column to make a straight wall or to orthogonal sides of the column to make an interior or exterior corner. The column may extend upwards or downwards above or below the panels. Further panels in an upper or lower story of a building may be connected to the same column such that vertically stacked panels are connected together.
In another connection, one end rib of a first panel is made to fit against the end of a second panel. The end rib of the first panel may be as wide, or wider, then than the thickness of the second panel. An inside or outside surface of the end rib of the first panel may be recessed relative to the remainder of the panel. For example, the end rib of the first panel may be made with a rabbet approximately equal in width to the thickness of the second panel. The second panel can be attached to the end rib of the first panel to make a corner. The connection can be made, for example, by fasteners inserted through holes in an end rib of the second panel into threaded inserts in the end rib of the first panel.